THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 10, 1996 TAG: 9603070243
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MILES DANIELS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
WEARING HIS father's black tuxedo and drinking non-alcoholic champagne, 17-year-old Ryan Bennett hosted an unusual party on the Outer Banks last Sunday and Monday nights.
The occasion: his first movie premier.
``You'll all be at my first real premier,'' Bennett told those gathered around the television at his house in Kitty Hawk. ``This is just a taste of coming attractions.''
Bennett, a senior at Manteo High School, played an imprisoned union soldier in TNT's world premier of ``Andersonville,'' which aired last week and will be shown again this weekend.
The television movie, set in Georgia, chronicles the lives of Civil War union soldiers fighting for survival in a Confederate prison camp called Andersonville. The story is told through the eyes of Josia Day, played by Jarrod Emick.
Bennett says he landed his small role through his grandfather, Ray Lyerly of Wilmington. Lyerly has been an extra in several major motion pictures, including the Indiana Jones chronicles and ``Sleeping with the Enemy.'' He has also appeared in several episodes of Andy Griffith's ``Matlock'' series.
Lyerly used his connections to get both himself and Bennett into the ``Andersonville'' production.
``My grandfather talked with the extra coordinators for this movie and told them about me,'' Bennett said. ``They sent me an application, and two weeks later, I received a call letting me know I had the part.''
The scenes involving Bennett and his grandfather were shot in Wilmington last June and took about two 16-hour days to complete. Both mornings, the pair arrived on the set by 4 a.m. Before sunlight, they had already been through wardrobe and makeup and rehearsed their scenes. The days stretched on until 8 p.m.
The working hours weren't easy, Bennett said, but everyone was treated ``like kings.''
Between scenes, movie extras were housed under a large, air-conditioned tent fully furnished with tables and chairs.
``I never went hungry or thirsty,'' Bennett said. ``It's hard to imagine how the main actors were treated.''
For Bennett, the opportunity to play a part in ``Andersonville'' only encouraged him to continue pursuing his lifelong dream of becoming a film director.
``It was a great experience that I will never forget,'' he said. ``It made my yearning to make movies even greater.
``It confirmed the saying, `There's no business like show business.' ''
Bennett said he learned a lot about making movies from ``Andersonville'' Director John Frankenheimer.
``Working with Frankenheimer opened my eyes as to how much work goes into movie making, and how I will have to work from the bottom to the top.''
Bennett picked up his first video camera in seventh grade. Since then, he has continued working with cameras, even producing several short movies himself.
``I watch movies and analyze how scenes are filmed, and then I try to do the same thing with my camera,'' Bennett said. ``I won't be happy in life if I don't pursue this. I really do believe that I will succeed.''
For now, Bennett's movies are used to get good grades on his school projects. His close friends make up the casts.
``Any time I have a project for school, I produce a movie and always get an A,'' Bennett said. ``Everybody wants to be in my group.''
Manteo High School senior Jason Summerton, a friend of Bennett's, is quick to credit his friend's creative approach to schoolwork. ``I can honestly say that Ryan is the sole reason I got A's on all my projects,'' Summerton said.
After he graduates from Manteo High School in June, Bennett plans to attend the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and major in media studies. His three life goals: to attend a premier of a major movie he has made, to earn $1 million and to win an Oscar for best director or best picture.
During his spring break next month, Bennett said, he will serve as an extra in yet another movie. His friends say it's just a first step to stardom.
``As long as I've known Ryan, he's been into movies,'' classmate Margie McPherson said. ``He must own every single movie in the world. I think he's going somewhere.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo courtesy of RYAN BENNETT
Ryan Bennett, right, a senior at Manteo High School, and his
grandfather Billie Ray Lyerly, were extras in ``Andersonville,''
which airs on TNT today.
by CNB